Where is policy heading? Hopefully not into reform overload and sector instability

Last updated 11:22, Wednesday, 25 June 2008

Unnoticed by even the specialist press, in May the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) published its business plan for 2008/09 to 2010/11, Investing in our future.

This is the period for which funding was allocated under last year’s comprehensive spending review.

The plan lists all the non-departmental public bodies and agencies within the DIUS landscape.

These include the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).

DIUS is responsible for two national targets – one about improving the skills of the population, based on the Leitch Review, the other about world class science and innovation, based on the Sainsbury Review.

In addition, six departmental strategic objectives (DSOs) set out in greater detail the action DIUS will take over the life of the business plan.

The first of these deals with the commercial exploitation of creativity and knowledge, and with innovation and research – among the particular intentions is the development of a ‘Space Strategy’ by the end of the year.

Objectives two and three are very much about Leitch – improving skills and social cohesion.

These have some specifics for the coming year including 234,000 learner achievements under Train to Gain with an additional 65,000 employers signed up.

But less than three weeks after the plan was published the DIUS Secretary of State told one national newspaper: “Too much of our skills training is based on a hope that employers will train people in the skills the economy will need ... we will need in the future to do more than to continue to rely on hope.”

His comments coincided with the publication of an LSC evaluation of Train to Gain showing that 17 per of the training provided, around £91m, substitutes what employers would have funded for themselves in the past.

Other specifics include the development and testing of Skills Accounts ready for roll-out in 2010; growth in employer co-funding in HE; a report on improving school-HE links; a review of fair admissions for HE; and the trialling of the new Adult Advancement and Careers Service.

The fourth DSO deals with research and science with an emphasis on the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics ) subjects.

Strengthening the capacity, quality and reputation of the FE and HE systems to support national economic and social needs is the focus of the fifth objective.

Particulars include completion of the various HE mini reviews announced in February and the launch of the new single voice for FE.

Legislation (now confirmed) to close the LSC and transfer 16-19 funding to local authorities and post-19 funding (other than that for HE) to a new Skills Funding Agency (SFA) is a key component of objective number five.

This will put a huge but artificial divide in learning at the age of 19.

Local authorities will be expected to form ‘sub-regional groupings’ policed at regional level by the existing regional development agencies and Government offices, and at national level by a new Young People’s Learning Agency to “perform a final moderation”.

The SFA will have managing responsibility for services including a National Apprenticeship Service, a National Employer Service and the Adult Advancement and Careers Service.

The final DSO is about encouraging better use of science in Government, fostering public service innovation and supporting other Government objectives which depend on DIUS expertise.

The emphasis will be on a number of reviews, for example, on the benefits of science and international collaboration.

DIUS has established an Audit and Risk Committee.

One of the seven top corporate risks identified is “sector instability and reform overload in FE”. Amen to that.